I loaded some Hornady 150 grain bullets with 5 different powders and my overall best results was with Varget. Hodgden shows a compressed load with all bullet weights loaded with Varget. I still have plenty of room left in the case for more powder as 47.0 grains of Varget only fills up the case to the beginning of the shoulder. I was getting approximately 2800 in cold weather (of course I was shooting from inside a building out the window) Hodgdon list 2900 FPS for this weight bullet in a 24 inch barrel. My barrel is 22 inches and I was using a different and shorter bullet. Why do they list compressed loads when my loads are far from compressed? They were using Winchester cases but it seems like most brands of cases have about the same volumn.

Most brands of .308W cases do not have "about the same volume". There actually is quite a bit of difference, especially if using milsurp 7.62 cases. You WW cases have the highest volume of most any case. In WW "Palma" cases that are fired formed and neck sized 48.5 gr of Varget is a slightly compressed load under 155 Palma MKs. The velocity out of my 26" barreled M70 is 2915 fps. Case capacity and velocity vary slightly with different lots of Varget. Still it is my favorite powder for my LR loads, especially with the 175 gr MK.

Larry Gibson

I load for two different 308 rifles and both do very well with Varget. I can't remember if the loads were compressed, or not. I just remember that they like Varget. One shoots 150 grain bullets best, and the other shoots 165 grain bullets the best.

In my experience Varget and Reloader 15 work better in long barreled rifles. I have had better luck with smaller and denser powders in short barrled 308s.

My Tikka shoots 165gr with H4831 3/4 MOA. The bullet speed is too slow (2300 fps) for my liking.

I have settled on 45.7 gr of Varget for overall accuracy and performance.

quote:

Originally posted by Longshot:
In my experience Varget and Reloader 15 work better in long barreled rifles. I have had better luck with smaller and denser powders in short barrled 308s.

If you don't mind my asking, which powders? BL-C2 maybe? I ask because I shoot Varget n RL15 in a bunch of 308's and get great results in 18" - 20" AR as well as a few shorter length barreld bolt guns.

I'm always looking to what could be an improvement.

Hodgdon & Varget aren't in my vocabulary for any chambering.

Dupont IMR 4064 or VV N135 in Rem URBR brass w/ 155's works well in 308/7.62 chamberings.

I use Varget powder in my .308 rifle with good results. My most accurate load is: 45.0 grs/ 150 grain Sierra SPBT loaded in Winchester cases. If I increase the powder charge, the accuracy falls off.

I have been using Varget in most of my rifle loads (223 - 30-06). Easy to load and accurate.

It seems my barrels heat up faster with Varget.Anybody find this to happen or is it in my head?

My Savage is over 20 years old and has a 1.5x5x42 S&B scope with a very heavy crosshair. Not the ideal scope for the best groups but ideal for deer hunting in Missouri and also good in the Limpopo for plains game. I used BHA Match Cases with the following powders from fastest to slowest:

H335 46.0g(Speer Man) CCI Mag Primer 2809fps

IMR 8208XBR 45.0g (Max for 155g data) 2777fps

H 4895 46.0g (155g bullet data) 2815fps

Varget 47.0g (155g bullet data) 2800fps

IMR 4007 SSC 49.5g (full case) 2709fps

I had the lowest spread in velocity with the H335 at only 17fps from highest to lowest.

All were accurate enough for hunting but the Varget load I could cover with a dime (3 shots)
Nothing like sucess for confidence. There was a strong cross wind the day I was shooting and I am sure someone with better eyes would shoot all of the loads better than me. The only powder that filled up the case to the neck-shoulder junction was the 49.5 grains of the
IMR 4007 SSC.

quote:

Originally posted by army aviator:
I loaded some Hornady 150 grain bullets with 5 different powders and my overall best results was with Varget. Hodgden shows a compressed load with all bullet weights loaded with Varget. I still have plenty of room left in the case for more powder as 47.0 grains of Varget only fills up the case to the beginning of the shoulder. I was getting approximately 2800 in cold weather Hodgdon list 2900 FPS for this weight bullet in a 24 inch barrel. My barrel is 22 inches and I was using a different and shorter bullet. Why do they list compressed loads when my loads are far from compressed? They were using Winchester cases but it seems like most brands of cases have about the same volumn.

IMO you're not going to get better performance with any other powder but you can try IMR-4895

You din't say what rifle you're using If it was my rifle (M-700 Remmy) I'd add another grain of powder assuming all looks well as-is....

That said.....beware of the milsurp cases as noted below.

quote:

Most brands of .308W cases do not have "about the same volume". There actually is quite a bit of difference, especially if using milsurp 7.62 cases.

This is very true and as mentioned....especially with military cases!

quote:

Dupont IMR 4064

BTW....Dupont hasn't made IMR powder in the last twenty years!